I. Field
The present invention relates generally to transportation and delivery systems, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a hazardous materials alert for use with a vehicle transporting hazardous materials.
II. Description of the Related Art
Advances in technology have provided for increased automation in many industries. For example, in the trucking industry, technology has allowed for the shipment and delivery of cargo virtually around the clock. Vehicles now carry and deliver cargo to all parts of the country. For example, cargo-carrying tractor-trailers may be driven hundreds or thousands of miles to reach a delivery site.
Typically, cargo is loaded into a trailer portion of a tractor-trailer vehicle and driven from point to point along a delivery route by a vehicle operator. Along the delivery route, intermediate stops may occur where portions of the cargo are unloaded for delivery or where new cargo is picked up. To facilitate efficient routing, sometimes a trailer is detached from its current tractor and left at a designated location for pickup by another tractor. The trailer may sit at this intermediate location for various lengths of time while waiting to be retrieved by another tractor. This detachable trailer arrangement allows shippers to plan the most efficient and cost effective routes for the delivery of the cargo. In some cases, the trailer acts as a storage container to store the cargo for an extended period of time.
Generally speaking, the vast majority of cargo carried by the trucking industry represents food or other consumer goods that do not pose a danger to the public during transportation. However, the trucking industry also transports hazardous materials (HAZMAT) that may pose a threat to the general public or the environment. For example, materials such as fuels, chemicals, oil, waste materials, or other hazardous materials may pose a serious risk to the public in the event of a vehicle accident or malfunction. For example, if a truck carrying a cargo of dangerous chemicals is involved in an accident, leakage of the chemicals may endanger lives or pose a serious risk to the local environment. Therefore, it is very important that emergency and rescue personnel receive notice of such accidents in a timely fashion. It is also important that rescue personnel are provided with enough information to understand the dangers of such chemicals and any other information necessary to contain the spill and treat affected persons and the environment.
Currently, vehicles transporting hazardous materials use a placard that is placed on the vehicle to indicate the type of hazardous cargo being transported. However, if the vehicle is involved in an accident, the placard may not be visible to emergency personnel. Also, a simple placard may not provide enough information about the cargo to inform rescuers about necessary treatment procedures. It is also possible that the wrong placard may be placed on the vehicle, thereby further compounding the problem. Furthermore, a simple placard does not provide any notification that an accident may have occurred or help to locate the vehicle in case of an emergency.
Therefore, what is needed is a system for use by a vehicle transporting hazardous material to alert rescue and emergency personnel, in the event of an accident, vehicle malfunction, or other event, to the dangers of the hazardous material onboard. Ideally, first responders to an accident or vehicle malfunction are notified of the type of cargo being transported and information on how to treat injured persons and/or minimize contamination from the hazardous material.